


Lucas Steinhart

by Kirihara_Reii



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Police, Child Neglect, Crime Scenes, F/M, Fantasy, Police, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Underworld, mafia, possessive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24251872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirihara_Reii/pseuds/Kirihara_Reii
Summary: A young man named Lucas Steinhart journeys back to his birth place to search for the truth about his family. When the seal broke, the leader of the rakshas, welcomes him as the new successor. Will Lucas accomplish what he set out to do, to help the weak and destroy the dark forces that plague the world?
Kudos: 1





	1. The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning

A heavy thunderstorm. The tempered and hardened glass in the windows broke with a piercing shrill. A young woman, dressed in a collared one-piece knee-length dress, black tights and boots. In her arms is an infant. In her dominant hand she grips tightly a slender kodachi (Japanese twin swords). The infant is wrapped tightly in blankets, hugged against the woman's chest. The woman glares venomously at the enemy before her. Her dried tears are evidence of her trepidation.

A man with a dignified appearance. He has an equally piercing glare. Herman is dressed in a refined black suit. His shirt and slacks has been carefully ironed down to its edges. He has a young appearance, of a man in his early twenties. Anyone can tell he is the young master of the grand mansion. Although their surroundings are thrashed and barren, the neighbourhood once saw it as a grand mansion.

Electrical power goes out and and the pounding of the rain echoes loudly against the windowsills and roof. Herman has combat gloves on his hands. Their battle has turned into a stalemate. Neither of them are about to concede.

"Why don't you reconsider?" he spoke.

"No. He shall be the one to decide his own path. You don't see it, do you! Aren't you becoming just like your father?!"

The man pointed at the broken altar. The crystal still stands among the cracked glass and marble. The crystal ball is illuminated brightly. "Look, Elena. He bears the cursed blood of this clan. He is destined to return. The ancient crystal recognizes him as the chief who will reign our clan!"

"You can't bind him with 'chains' in the name of your blood and clan. I swear that he must choose his own life. After all, he's OUR child! You can make it happen!" the woman pleaded.

"Nina."

The young master's _familiar_ appears on his shoulder. His _familiar_ takes the form of a snake. The snake hisses and transforms. In his hands is the legendary sword he used that took down thousands of men alone: Murasame.

"I will not fight you." The woman's gaze is sharp but calm. It seems as if she has predicted the outcome of this battle.

_Have faith in our child. He will become the key and purge the darkness of Steinhart's curse._

The woman and child vanishes before the young master's eyes. Nothing is left but droplets of blood from her wounds remains on the floor. Herman clicks his tongue. "She used her powers. Damn it!" The sword in his hands vanishes into thin air. His knees buckles and gives way. The strength and tension accumulated that led to their stalemate is suddenly released, the fatigue from their battle overwhelms his body.

"Elena...." he whispers.

He turns to his men and subordinates observing the scene in the darkness. "Find them!"

20 years later

Schewerin, the homeland of diverse culture and history. Known for its neo-renaissance palace with ornate rooms and elaborate designs, the monarch who resides in Schewerin Castle, the pride and joy of Schewerin City, was a man of peace. The people are contented and happy, as can be seen at the busy street markets.

A young man, possibly a traveller, brightens at the beautiful sight of the peaceful town. He seemed to have come a long way. The young man's black leather coat and black boots contrasting with the Schewerin people's colourful garb made him stand out as someone from out of town. A long pale cerulean muffler was wrapped warmly around his neck. He held a brown briefcase in his hands.

"So this is Schewerin?"

Strolling around the city, citizens of Schewarin stole glances at the young man's peculiar appearance. He had a soft tuft of raven black hair and golden irises. Ignoring the odd glances, he trudged through the crowd.

Unpleasant shouting caught his attention. Pushing his way towards a group of men gathered a meter from where he was standing, he saw two boys trembling at the mercy of a burly man. The boys were injured and screaming in pain as the big man whipped them with a something that looked like a long belt. The young man gritted his teeth. One word came to his mind.

 _Rakshas._ The feared gangsters that lorded over ordinary people. Organised crime coupled with dark magic that promised horrendous fate to those who dared challenge them. The threat guns and swords one could oppose; but the threat of the power of the darkness was enough to make a grown man tremble. Law enforcers, where were they in this beautiful city? Underneath the layer of peacefulness and calm, the _rakshas_ ' reign of terror prevailed. They were extremely formidable.

A look at the attackers revealed that they were underlings of the _rakshas_. After all, they bore the tattoo of the clan on their bodies. The burly older man had a knife in his hands.

"Die!" he screamed.

Praying for mercy, the boys closed their eyes in fright. They braced themselves for the final blow. When nothing happened, they opened their eyes slightly. The young man in the odd clothing was standing in front of them. They recognized him. He was the one who possessed a pure, piercing gaze. He stood apart from people in the city who were shrouded in dark aura despite their colourful dresses. It was something that didn't belong in this city. The tone of his voice was delicate and tender as he spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The underlings of the _rakshas_ had collapsed at his feet like lumps of meat. "What's your name?"

The boys could only stare speechlessly at the defeated minions of the darkness on the cemented ground. He is God. Their saviour. And the Hero. Seeing the young man unscathed after defeating three aggressive men, they believed God had blessed them with a second chance. The young man frowned. The _rakshas_ will not stop. They were _searching_ for something. Who was their leader? The all-powerful one. No one had ever seen him.

The young man's intuition started to tingle.

"We're battle slaves." The boys spoke. Their young hero had a solemn expression on his face. How much suffering had these two endured at such a young age. He silently nodded, urging the twins to go on.

"Both Arthur and I. We're twins."

"Why did you help us?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." The young man replied. "Isn't it? Tell me. What happened to Schewerin? A peaceful city like this, overrun by _rakshas_. It's unbelievable."

The twins sighed. "It's been like this since a decade ago. Since His Highness fell ill. The one who's in power... the advisor, is the _raksha_ 's puppet."

"Sir, you're incredible. You defeated them!"

The townsfolk welcomed the young man into their circle. They were extremely joyful that hope had finally arrived. They told stories of their lives. The changes, rumours and recent occurrences that targeted innocent lives of the Schewerin people. Many families were robbed, humiliated, and killed; the surviving children were left with no choice but to serve the _rakshas_ as their weapon: the _raksha_ 's battle slaves. It was kill or be killed.

Peace was a fleeting dream. The young man was overwhelmed by the reality. So many things had occurred in the last ten years when he was here. The span of a decade was too long a time for the people in the city to remember him. He wondered if there were other cities that had also fallen under the darkness reign.

He gritted his teeth. It was time to visit some old friends. After bidding farewell to the friendly citizens and the twins, the young man continued on his journey. He boarded the train to the south. It was an hour's journey from the central region.

In South Schewerin stood the Police Headquarters Department. The young man sighed, as he stepped in front of its grand entrance.

"Never knew the day would come that I would return. Criminal Affairs Police Bureau, Schewerin." 


	2. The Grimoire of Raziel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! How do you do? Here's the second chapter. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 2: The Grimoire of Raziel

The man’s name was Lucas. He had an appearance of an average young man you could find on the streets. Petite, thin and delicate. Lucas bit his lower lip. He gathered courage and advanced on his path. The path to the criminal affairs bureau. To his surprise, the precinct was in a huge mess. The visitor’s hall and the cafeteria were filled with victims and witnesses. Patrol officers were trying their best to control the crowd. Lucas could only look in silence.

_What on Earth happened here?_

It was a sight of pandemonium. Scrutinized the situation closely, Lucas observed that the victims and witnesses were injured. Those with mild injuries had remained in the hall to be treated by the paramedics. Life-threatening injuries had been transported to the hospital. It was unbelievable that a mere ten minutes had caused a hundred and ten casualties, seven deaths. It was a shocking number.

Lucas turned on his heels and walked towards the crime scene instead. He had changed his mind. The crime scene comes first. The archives could wait. Lucas had become rather curious about the explosion. The crime scene was two blocks away from the precinct. It was a biochemical research centre.

With his briefcase in one hand, Lucas entered the coffee bar across the street. He ordered a cup of milk latte as he observed the people swarmed around the crime scene. Despite the scene being barricaded and isolated, the crowd of onlookers increased in massive numbers. The officers who had taken charge of the case were investigators from the homicide department.

It was strange. It was apparent that this recent case was clearly caused by an explosion. It was the work of an arsonist. To leave the case in the homicide officers’ hands, Lucas figured the brains must have found a vital clue. He was immersed in his own thoughts when a chair was hurled in his direction. The furniture had grazed the pale skin of Lucas’s left cheek. 

He looked in the direction where the attack had come from. The one who had tossed the chair was immediately restrained. His colleagues were petrified. He had entered another of his violent seizures. This man was nicknamed the ‘watchdog’ of homicide. True to his name, this man was problematic and often caused problems for the chief and his fellow colleagues.

“Hey! Stop that, Niko!”

The man named Niko had a clear, unwavering piercing stare. “Don’t run away, Lucas.” He had smirked despite being restrained.

Lucas sighed. It was the worst. Because of Niko’s uncouth streak, Lucas found himself in the presence of his former boss, the current Chief Commander of the homicide department. This man was Lieutenant Reiner Hoffmann. He was dressed smartly in his expensive suit. His stern gaze fell onto Niko and Lucas. Reiner’s intimidating frown had transformed into a smirk.

“Lucas.” The officers at the precinct were intrigued. Pale delicate skin. Golden irises. And Stygian-coloured hair. It was a rare sight. Rumours of the earlier breakout had spun viral. Officers whispered among themselves. Videos of Niko’s outburst were uploaded onto social media platforms by fellow onlookers and bystanders. Before they realized, Niko and Lucas’s outbreak had become a trending issue of the week. Curiosity and amusement aroused among the residents and civilians.

Lucas’s pale expression had provided Reiner answers. Lucas was petrified. Niko had changed. Lucas did not know what changed. The Niko now and the Niko then were like two separate individuals. Niko would threaten even his superiors and colleagues when he had Lucas out of his sight. The night when Lucas disappeared, it was hell.

Reiner was beyond furious. He had yelled a long litany of reprimanding lectures at Niko. An officer who was supposed to protect the people was witnessed in a violent act on a public street. Lucas paled. He remembered how stern and intimidating this man was. Many of his fellow officers were curious. A civilian who could rein the mad dog exists. They had wondered who Lucas really was.

Sighing, Reiner pulled out a key from one of his desk drawers. His office was exactly how Lucas had remembered. The shelves on the right, and boxes of unsolved cases were lined on the left. The blinds were apple green, the same ones since Lucas had left the city for unknown reasons.

Lucas and Niko glanced at the key laid on the desk. A key with a strange shape. It was for a big padlock which was no longer in use. Niko had frowned. Did the precinct ever use this type of padlocks? Reiner was a commander who possessed astute senses. He was a man worthy of leading the nation back on its right path. Lucas recognized his strength. To accomplish his dreams, it would be a difficult path. Someone like Lucas is necessary.

“You’ve come for this, haven’t you?” Reiner remarked. Reiner could predict Lucas’s temperamental and impulsive behaviours that put experienced experts to shame. Lucas was a violent investigation specialist. During the time he had served the force, her extraordinary skills had put countless criminals behind bars. Reiner knew Lucas had never stopped looking. His presence was enough evidence that Lucas was still chasing after that man. Even now. The man he had failed to capture three years ago, and the source of colossal explosion.

Lucas nodded. It was precisely the reason he had endured the long journey back to this city. “Niko!” Reiner pointed his finger at the problematic officer. “I’ll assign you as Lucas’s subordinate during the time he’s here. No fighting, understand?!” Reiner had slammed his fists on his mahogany desk.

Niko was indifferent and apathetic. Niko did not care. All he cared was Lucas. He eyed at Lucas’s gloved hands. Niko followed Lucas like a lost dog. The drastic change in Niko’s behaviour had astounded his fellow colleagues. All of them demanded their commander for answers. It was a miracle! Someone who could control that insane beast had finally appeared.

“You’ll know in due time,” was Reiner’s reply. This is going to be interesting.

The shadows lurked around the streets, their movements were insignificant had gone unnoticed. They had been prowling around the streets where the incident took place. The underworld were no fools. Footage of Niko’s violent outburst had caught their discerning eye. The underworld consists of people from all sorts of backgrounds and history. And once again, Lucas was caught on their poignant sight. The promised time was upon them. It will not be long before their perfect schemes were put into action.

“I can’t wait to see you. Very soon, Lucas.”

Lucas had scowled, his brows furrowed together. There are strange elements found in the autopsy report. There was a high amount of Ritalin in the victim’s blood system. Ritalin is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. The victim was clearly not one of those. It was not the only thing.

Engravings of uroboros were carved on the walls of the facilities. The facility was owned by a renowned pharmaceutical company in the city. The building has various research facilities which focuses on developing drugs for diverse uses. The research facility on the fifth floor had drained the trail cold. They had been researching human experimentation. On what, and for what, no one knows yet. This pharmaceutical company was heavily influenced by Theosophical beliefs.

“Are you sure?” Many of the officers had questioned, to ascertain and confirmed the existence of the nearly legendary myth. Niko and Lucas had returned to the precinct with new clues.

Lucas had provided them with hard evidence. It wasn’t just baseless speculation. The pictures were enough proof to show the mysterious community had actually existed. The carvings were meticulous and intricate, handled with much care.

“Speaking of cults, there is one student expelled from his institute for being insane.” The officer spoke. This recruit was Niko’s partner. The tag on his chest read ‘ALLEN’. “People claimed he was insane, and was admitted into a psychiatric hospital”

Lucas calmly glanced at the young officer. “Show me.” 

Allen is a technology specialist. He was capable of accomplishing things with digital and electronics which his fellow colleagues could not. With his help, their investigations have become much easier. Allen pulled up a screen on the monitor. Sure enough, the contents in the blog was consistent with Lucas’s deduction. It was accurate to the point that it was frightening creepy.

Lucas insisted it was no coincidence. “He must have known something. Find him!”

“Y... yes sir!” Lucas’s demeanour was intimidating and intense. The younger novices wavered, their confidence faltered. It was just how Lucas was. Several of them now understood why he was able to restrain the ‘watchdog’ from creating more havoc. 

Reiner smiled from the sidelines. It was the right decision to ask Lucas for help. Lucas was an excellent investigator despite his plain and weak appearance. Reiner recalled the days he had worked with Lucas. Back then, Reiner was a sergeant and Lucas was a police detective. Despite being ranked lower, Lucas was extraordinary in his investigations.

Devon Hospital, Second District. 

“Where are you going, Lucas? You’re coming with us.”

Reiner had grinned, pulling on Lucas’s collar, preventing him from escaping a second time. The first time Lucas had made a run during an investigation was four years ago when they were both still young and naïve. Despite Lucas’s excellent skills in law enforcement, he was often reluctant in cooperating with his superiors and got into trouble with the higher-ups.

With a letter of warrant in Niko’s hands, the first investigation unit proceeded to the hospital’s reception with Lucas in tow. Left with no choice, Lucas followed the team into the psychiatric ward. The hospital staff had paled at the sight of the police inheritance waved in front of their faces.

“Let us see the director,” Reiner had insisted.

The recaptioned stared widely at the warrant and police inheritance in Reiner’s hands. Left without much choice, the receptionist made a call to the director informing the executive of the law enforcers presence and their purpose. Moments after receiving the director’s approval, the police with an additional Lucas was showed to the director’s office.

“Welcome, detectives.” The director welcomed them with warm arms. The office was lush and classy. The director of this hospital was a female. She was smartly dressed in an expensive and refined business suit. With thick makeup painted over her face, her bright red lips broke into a smile. “What a pleasant surprise. If I had known, I would’ve prepared a more appropriate welcome. What can I do for you?”

Allen pulled out a picture from his inner breast pocket. “We would like to request information about this man and see him in person.”

The director took the picture from Allen. She studied the picture closely. Clearly enough, she identified the man as a patient at her hospital. “Ah, Davis Hayley.” A heavy sigh escaped from her lips. She went to the chest of drawers behind her. Pulling the third drawer, she rummaged for the patient’s record.

The investigators’ attention fell on the report. The man named Davis did not have any crime record prior admission. During the first four months, he had violence warnings and was isolated. His behaviour was nothing like the school and his peers had described. He was only a teenager. Sad, lonely and insecure.

“I remember his first day here. He was problematic and often caused problems for my staff.” The director sighed. “Wished I knew what he had seen. The nurses used to hear him mumbling incoherent words in the middle of the night.”

_He is coming, he is coming! The Lord will paint it black! He comes for the man who bears the devil’s crest._

The spine-chilling words Davis mumbled every night had drove the healthcare professionals into fear and terror. Many become terrified of night shifts because of his unworldly whispers.

‘Davis Hayley is madness’. They concluded. He was a madman whose spirit was deliberately broken and traumatized.

The expressions on the officers’ face were appalling. Lucas was the only exception. He was indifferent and pococurante as ever. Even the director had found the patient’s behaviour distressing.

“Let us see the patient.” Lucas spoke confidently.

The director glanced at Reiner and the company. The director was bewildered. “May I ask who he is?” she glanced at Reiner and Niko. She couldn’t believe her ears. There was actually someone who still requested to see Davis after being told of his alarming behaviours.

Reiner sighed. He had almost forgotten. Lucas possessed nerves of steel. Even with such a nerve-wrecking backstory, not a flinch was evident through non-verbal communicative means. His mental state was top-notch. Lucas was in perfect condition. “Don’t mind it. Just answer him” Reiner replied weakly.

Davis’s room was secluded from the normal patients. He was the only patient in the old building. Unlike the newly built ward, the old building was old and run-down. The paint had come off, the dust-filled windows and tiles screamed filthy. It seemed like no one had been here in years. The hallways were dark and musty. The lights blinked intermittent. It was apparent circuits had malfunctioned. The old building was abandoned.

Lucas had frowned. Why was Davis in a place like this? He had glared at the director with a questioning glance. “Why is he down here? He is not a prisoner!”

Niko had grabbed firmly onto the director’s collar. “Spill the truth. OR else you’ll find your neck broken.” Niko was seething. Even Reiner and Allen were horrified at the miserable state of Davis. This was inhuman.

“Stop it, Niko!” Reiner’s iron fist landed painfully on top of Niko’s skull.

The director was at loss of words. She had no excuses. The truth was in front of their eyes. Davis had been held prisoner in the old building. It had been four years since he was admitted into the hospital. The company could not believe it. How could someone survive four years down here?

Lucas slid open the door. The room was barren. A toilet, an old couch, and a bed. The bedside table had a jug of water and two books. It was barely enough for someone who had lived here for four years. Davis was on the bed, staring at the window. He had turned when foreign steps had entered his room. Davis’s expressions were ghastly.

The director was terrified. She had bolted, screaming at the top of her voice.

“Who are you?” his hoarse voice spoke.

Studying the patient closely, Lucas could see the teenager was extremely malnourished. Davis was thin and scrawny. He was all skin and bones. His hands and feet were chained to the wall. The chain was three metres long, was enough to move around the room. For what, and why was a mystery. The company wondered when the last time was, he had a proper meal.

Allen and Reiner had pulled up enough chairs for them to sit. Lucas was calm. He smiled gently. “My name is Lucas. What’s your name?” 

The child blinked at Lucas and the company with eyes of confusion. It was the first time he had visitors. Lucas reached out for an apple from his pocket. He stared at the apple like the rarest item he had ever seen in his life. It had been quite some time since he last saw real, solid food.

“It’s warm…” he murmured. “My name is Davis…”

“Davis.” Lucas repeated after him. “That’s a nice name. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?”

The child stared at Lucas. Confirming there was no bad intent evident reflected in Lucas’s clear irises, Davis slowly nodded. He held the red apple in his small, quivering hands. Allen had spread pictures in timely order on the small table. Davis had widened at the sight of uroboros seals and ancient documents encrypted in theosophy language.

“Do you remember these?” Allen probed hopefully.

“What a surprise. The devil’s curse.” Davis faintly replied.

“Curse?” Niko questioned. “Could you tell us more in detail? No one will come after you. We will protect you. What did you see that night?”

Davis sighed. His eyes were full of anguish and regret. He was just an average teenager. A promising folklore scholar with a bright future ahead. Everything changed that night. Davis had kept it a secret after he had been targeted. Twice, he had almost lost his life. The people around him could not see the _devil’s curse_ that he could. Declared insane, he was abandoned by his family, ostracized by his peers and teachers, and was expelled from his college. 

Lucas assured everything was fine. Davis gathered his courage and began his tale. The company sat in silence, listening intently what Davis had to say. It was unbelievable. This child declared insane was an essential witness to their investigation. Allen secretly stared at Lucas. A slight frown appeared between his brows. He had to admit, just as Reiner had declared, Lucas was excellent in executing the investigation perfectly. A little too perfect.

Questioning a teenage diagnosed with paranoid disorder was no easy feat. Lucas had easily conducted the interrogation with small build-ups starting from smaller pieces, leading to the climax. Obtaining information and clues which normal people often encounter challenges, Lucas had done it so easily. Allen wondered if Lucas was even human. He had heard of Lucas’s accomplishments as a junior officer during his younger days. He had presumed the legends were exaggerating. Watching Lucas executing it perfectly had led Allen to assimilate and appraise new information from the man renowned for his legendary skills.

Davis was once a part of a research team. The team consisted of seven members. Davis fished out an old picture from the drawer next to the bed. Allen, Niko, and Reiner recognized several of them. They had either been declared dead or missing. Davis was their only clue.

“It was terrible. ‘The moment of truth’, that’s what we thought.” Davis spoke. “We were gravely mistaken. The devil encroached upon us, and casted a curse on us. The punishment for having our sights on the legendary elixir.”

“What did you do?” Lucas calmly questioned. Lucas had a gist of what happened then. It was good to jump to conclusions. He was trained to attained and use evidence as resources to arrive at the most accurate conclusions.

“We performed the ritual.” Davis’s expression darkened.

There was a pregnant pause. The ritual. The sight they saw that night was hell. There were unspoken rules practitioners had to adhere. Davis was the youngest member. Theosophy was supposed to be sacred scripts bestowed by the heavens. To think that the teachings recorded in the Book of Wisdom was the work of devils in disguise. Those who seek the grimoires never return alive. Davis was an exception.

“We had no idea when it started. I sensed something strange when we discovered the Grimoire of Raziel: The Book of Wisdom.” Davis was remorseful. He regretted not stopping his fellow members. “The more we indulged ourselves into researching the sacred records, the more we become obsessed with the grimoire. One by one, they were driven insane. At one point, they started performing rituals. Their scientific reasoning went wrong, and the ”

“What kind ritual is that?” Niko piped in.

“The Art of Necromancy.”

He had bit the bottom of his lip. Clenching the report in his gloved hands, Lucas marched towards the exit in exasperation. This is not the end. There were approximately more than ten researchers working at the facility. Only one had been found dead. There will be more victims, the mastermind would not stop until his plans are perfectly executed. To completely destroy Schwerin.

The investigation team in-charge of the arson case had been entrusted to the first investigation department. The officers had determined the arson case has connection with a particular murder case in the past. It was much more than a simple arson. What, they had yet to find out. The clues Lucas and Niko had savaged from the site was extremely upsetting. Their hunches were right. The discovery of uroboros tattoos were perturbing news. What’s worse, the witness confessing the forbidden taboo of delving into the dark arts. Was there such a thing?

"I won't let it be destroyed."

Finally managed to part ways with the mad dog without any further incidents, Lucas found his way to his old apartment. It was on the fifth street, three blocks away from the market. It was almost dusk when Lucas arrived at his old place. It had been three years. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned the knob. The apartment was exactly how he had left three years ago.

He put down his suitcase with a loud thud, Lucas took off his shoes and walked through the dusty hallways. He opened the windows, allowing the cold air of the night breeze into the room. Lucas smiled. The nostalgic sight of the view from his window. He watched the people setting up their lanterns and lighting the streets with glistening decorations and accessories.

It was the eve of the Lantern Festival.

The townspeople celebrate this joyous event every year. On the eve, they would release sky lanterns into the skies with blessings of good luck and fortune. The Lantern Festival is said to bring happiness and miracles. The night of the festival was a breath-taking sight. The view of multi-coloured lanterns glowed brightly like lightbulbs in the darkened sky. As if an insignificant ray of hope trying its best to overcome its challenges within the abyss of darkness.

On the nights of festive seasons, the streets are filled with life, their sorrows and anguish were temporarily alleviated. Lucas smiled as he observed the townsfolk celebrated the festival with a smile on their faces from his window. It was a maudlin sight. Lucas turned to glance at the picture frame placed on the wooden windowsill. It was an old picture. There were two boys in the picture. A teenager and a child. The child was Lucas. Based on their similarities, the boys were possibly brothers. It was a picture of Lucas and his brother.

“I’m back, Brother.” 


End file.
